THE LAST MAN COMMITTEE
John Ferguson, Chairman
|
John Ferguson, Chairman
|
|
|
Frank Wright
Frank
S. Wright—4/DQ---------3rd Division
I was not married when I joined the Marine Corp on January 21, 1942, as I was just legally 16 years old. Of course I lied about my age to get into the Corps, as I was only 16 ½ years old. I was born in July 5, 1925, and used my brothers Birthday of December 5, 1923. I went to San Diego, Calif. for boot camp from Little Rock Ark. And was in Platoon 150. When I finished Boot Camp I was transferred to Astoria, Oregon, at Tongue Point Navel Air Station. We were doing guard duty there at the Navel Air Station, Port Docks in Astoria and the Navel Communications Depot in Young’s River just out of Astoria, I met my future wife in Astoria on my third liberty. They were going to organize the 4th Marine Raiders in California and I really wanted to get out of the wet weather in Oregon, so I joined the 4th Raiders and trained at Camp Pendleton in California at “Jacks Farm”. We did our liberty in San Diego and Los Angeles. We left for overseas in February of 1943 and became a member of “The Domain of Neptune’s Rex” crossing the equator Feb. 17, 1943 on the USS President Polka. I left the Raider Battalion in January of 1944 and transferred to the 3rd Division, 21st Marines, and Weapons Battalion. I participated in the Guam campaign and the Iwo Jima Battles. Was wounded by a 25 cal. Nambu on 3rd March 1945 and was evacuated by hospital ship to Siapan. They flew me from Siapan to Pearl Harbor for surgery, then took a slow boat to Long Beach, Calf. I finally left the Hospital in Long Beach and was transferred to requested duty Station at Parris Island, S.C. where I was a drill instructor until being discharged on January 22, 1946. I then went back to Little Rock Ark. And was a traveling salesman for 6 months. I left Arkansas by car and traveled to Astoria, Oregon, and married the girl I had left behind in 1943. We had been corresponding to each other for four years. I went to work at Tongue Point, Oregon, where I been stationed as a clerk typist. I had upgraded my classification as far as I could with the education I had, so I had to go back to high school or get my GED. I got my high school diploma at Astoria High School, then went on to college at Linfield College in Mc Minnville, Oregon. I received a degree in accounting and business from Linfield College and that became my profession until 1959. I moved to California was a physician business consultant from 1959 to 1976. I formed a partnership with a physician and we formed “Janus Recovery” in Santa Cruz and San Francisco area. It was an alcoholic recovery and detoxification center, and I was the controller to the three corporations we started. I retired in 1981 and settled down in several places, Santa Cruz, California, to Lake Port, California, then back to Lodi, California. We have three sons, two married and one single. Two of my sons have two daughters each, so I am the proud grandpa of four beautiful girls.
It noted here by the author of this publication that special attention should be called to the efforts of Frank in taking over the duties of publishing the “Patch” Newsletter from 1985 to 1988. This type of volunteerism is what holds the Raiders together in our sunset years. In closing it should be said that Frank remains active in pursuing his hobbies of Ham operator, with a advanced license call sign K06MI. His other Hobby is building and flying Radio Controlled Airplanes, as well as being a computer Buff, like myself. His e-mail address is fswright@softcom.net
|
